mind.
Nath.
The voice of Bayzog was in his thoughts.
You cannot surrender. They are deceivers. Defilers.
I cannot let all of you die either , Nath replied with thought.
We fight for you, Nath. For Nalzambor. Dying is part of that. Our sacrifice. Our call. Don’t let all we’ve fought so much for be lost.
Nath thought back, There will be another time and place to fight again. I promise .
Nath, don’t do this. Don’t do this. They can destroy us , but don’t let them destroy you . This is all a trap, using us against you. Help will come, Nath. You must be patient.
Maybe so, but I won’t watch my friends die today , Nath thought.
Then all our efforts are in vain.
I’m making a truce so no harm will come to any of you .
Don’t.
Forgive me, but I must , Nath thought before breaking his connection with Bayzog.
“Selene.”
“Yes.”
“Send away the dragons as a sign of good faith.”
“So be it,” she said, then uttered a word.
The grey scalers disappeared into the sky. The sky raiders lifted from the earth and flew beyond the forest. The feline fury glided over the hills until it was gone, leaving Nath, Selene, and Inferno all alone on the plain at the top of the cliff.
I might not have an answer to this today, but I will have one soon enough.
“Are you satisfied?” Selene said, climbing onto Inferno’s back.
Nath nodded and said, “Five years of peace.”
“Assuming there’s no provocation,” she said. “Do you agree to this truce, Nath Dragon?”
“I do,” he said.
“Then come,” she said, “but there is one more thing. Your sword. You won’t be needing it anymore.”
Nath swallowed, eyed the mystic blade, and stuck it in the ground. He rubbed the dragon pommels before he walked away, saying, “Goodbye, old friend.”
***
Brenwar watched with exasperation. His friend, his charge, Nath Dragon, climbed onto the back of the great dragon with High Priestess Selene. Inferno’s wings spread, flapped, and lifted him into the air.
“No you don’t! No you don’t!” Brenwar roared. He snatched a stone from the pile and hurled it with all his might. Nath’s flame-red hair ducked it. The dragon lifted up, up, up, and out of sight. Brenwar’s heavy shoulders sagged. “How can he do this? How can he do this?”
“He did it so we could live,” Bayzog said, sighing.
“It’s bad, isn’t it, Bayzog?” Ben said. Clatch. Snap. Clatch. He locked Akron away. “But at least those dragons are gone. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see my life getting short.” He rubbed his grizzled chin and eyed the sky. “I would have died for him though.”
“Now what?” Brenwar said. “Do we go after him? We must, shouldn’t we?”
“It’s up to him now,” Bayzog said, leaning on his staff and grimacing.
***
“Are you there? Are you there?” Hoven yelled inside the scorched cave.
Cough. Cough. Cough.
Hack. Hack.
“Yes,” a voice cried from behind a strange wall of stone. Hoven could also hear sobbing on the other side. “We’re here.” It was Shum’s voice. He was certain.
Hoven could barely make out the muffled voices, but one spoke fast, sobbing with distress.
“They’ve died. They’ve died. All of them.”
It was a gnome.
“We have to dig them out of there,” Hoven said to the other Roaming Rangers. He ran his fingers along the strange glob of stone that sealed off the small cave. The rock was charred and singed, and it had an odd aroma to it. How did he get behind this? Running his hands over the strange formation, it hit him. On my! The rocks were small bodies knotted together. The gnomes! In the dim light, his eyes adjusted and could make out their small bearded faces, frozen in pain and anguish.
A Roaming Ranger arrived with a pick and started to swing. Hoven barred his path and said, “We must wait.”
***
Eight small graves covered in wildflowers rested in the falling light. Snarggell spoke for more than an hour, with tears streaming from his eyes.
Nath.
The voice of Bayzog was in his thoughts.
You cannot surrender. They are deceivers. Defilers.
I cannot let all of you die either , Nath replied with thought.
We fight for you, Nath. For Nalzambor. Dying is part of that. Our sacrifice. Our call. Don’t let all we’ve fought so much for be lost.
Nath thought back, There will be another time and place to fight again. I promise .
Nath, don’t do this. Don’t do this. They can destroy us , but don’t let them destroy you . This is all a trap, using us against you. Help will come, Nath. You must be patient.
Maybe so, but I won’t watch my friends die today , Nath thought.
Then all our efforts are in vain.
I’m making a truce so no harm will come to any of you .
Don’t.
Forgive me, but I must , Nath thought before breaking his connection with Bayzog.
“Selene.”
“Yes.”
“Send away the dragons as a sign of good faith.”
“So be it,” she said, then uttered a word.
The grey scalers disappeared into the sky. The sky raiders lifted from the earth and flew beyond the forest. The feline fury glided over the hills until it was gone, leaving Nath, Selene, and Inferno all alone on the plain at the top of the cliff.
I might not have an answer to this today, but I will have one soon enough.
“Are you satisfied?” Selene said, climbing onto Inferno’s back.
Nath nodded and said, “Five years of peace.”
“Assuming there’s no provocation,” she said. “Do you agree to this truce, Nath Dragon?”
“I do,” he said.
“Then come,” she said, “but there is one more thing. Your sword. You won’t be needing it anymore.”
Nath swallowed, eyed the mystic blade, and stuck it in the ground. He rubbed the dragon pommels before he walked away, saying, “Goodbye, old friend.”
***
Brenwar watched with exasperation. His friend, his charge, Nath Dragon, climbed onto the back of the great dragon with High Priestess Selene. Inferno’s wings spread, flapped, and lifted him into the air.
“No you don’t! No you don’t!” Brenwar roared. He snatched a stone from the pile and hurled it with all his might. Nath’s flame-red hair ducked it. The dragon lifted up, up, up, and out of sight. Brenwar’s heavy shoulders sagged. “How can he do this? How can he do this?”
“He did it so we could live,” Bayzog said, sighing.
“It’s bad, isn’t it, Bayzog?” Ben said. Clatch. Snap. Clatch. He locked Akron away. “But at least those dragons are gone. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see my life getting short.” He rubbed his grizzled chin and eyed the sky. “I would have died for him though.”
“Now what?” Brenwar said. “Do we go after him? We must, shouldn’t we?”
“It’s up to him now,” Bayzog said, leaning on his staff and grimacing.
***
“Are you there? Are you there?” Hoven yelled inside the scorched cave.
Cough. Cough. Cough.
Hack. Hack.
“Yes,” a voice cried from behind a strange wall of stone. Hoven could also hear sobbing on the other side. “We’re here.” It was Shum’s voice. He was certain.
Hoven could barely make out the muffled voices, but one spoke fast, sobbing with distress.
“They’ve died. They’ve died. All of them.”
It was a gnome.
“We have to dig them out of there,” Hoven said to the other Roaming Rangers. He ran his fingers along the strange glob of stone that sealed off the small cave. The rock was charred and singed, and it had an odd aroma to it. How did he get behind this? Running his hands over the strange formation, it hit him. On my! The rocks were small bodies knotted together. The gnomes! In the dim light, his eyes adjusted and could make out their small bearded faces, frozen in pain and anguish.
A Roaming Ranger arrived with a pick and started to swing. Hoven barred his path and said, “We must wait.”
***
Eight small graves covered in wildflowers rested in the falling light. Snarggell spoke for more than an hour, with tears streaming from his eyes.
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